JP2016051071A - Cartridge and method for manufacturing cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cartridge which is easily assembled and has high productivity.SOLUTION: A cartridge includes: a cartridge frame body having a developer storage portion; an image carrier rotatably provided on the cartridge frame body; an end seal which is provided on the cartridge frame body and comes in contact with the end in the longitudinal direction of the image carrier; cleaning means which acts on the image carrier; a seal portion which is provided on the cartridge frame body and comes in contact with the end in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning means; a thin plate member that is provided in the longitudinal direction, and of which one end in a direction crossing the longitudinal direction comes in contact with the image carrier, and that prevents leakage of a developer from the developer storage portion: and a resin member which fixes the thin plate member and the cartridge frame body. The seal member is injection-molded with a first sealant which is a molten resin, and the resin member is injection-molded with a second sealant which is a molten resin different from the first sealant. The seal member and the resin member come in contact with each other between the cartridge frame body and the thin plate member, and are integrally formed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

  The present invention relates to a cartridge that can be attached to and detached from an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium, and a method for manufacturing the cartridge.

  The present invention relates to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus and a process cartridge (hereinafter referred to as a cartridge) that can be attached to and detached from the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. Here, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus (hereinafter referred to as an image forming apparatus) forms an image on a recording material (recording medium) using an electrophotographic image forming process. Examples of the image forming apparatus include a printer (laser beam printer, LED printer, etc.), a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a word processor, and a multifunction machine (multifunction printer) thereof.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic image forming process, a process cartridge system in which a cartridge is detachable from an apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus has been adopted. In this process cartridge system, the maintenance of the image forming apparatus can be simplified by integrally forming an electrophotographic photosensitive drum (hereinafter referred to as a photosensitive drum) and process means acting on the photosensitive drum into a cartridge. .

  Such a cartridge has a configuration in which a plurality of seal members seals between cartridge frame bodies and parts constituting the cartridge so that the developer (toner) accommodated in the cartridge does not leak to the outside. ing.

  As the sealing member, an elastic body such as urethane foam, soft rubber, or elastomer resin is used. And a sealing member is affixed with a sufficient precision on the junction part between frames or between components (refer patent document 1). However, a method of achieving higher sealing performance by pouring molten resin such as hot melt into gaps that occur due to dimensional tolerances of parts or variations in attachment positions is used ( Patent Document 2).

  In recent years, cartridges have been manufactured manually by automated machines (robots) in order to reduce costs by improving production efficiency and to stabilize the quality during assembly.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-272071 JP 2001-125465 A

  However, the above conventional configuration has the following two problems.

  The first problem is that the assembly process for fixing the seal member to the cartridge frame is difficult. Furthermore, when assembling with an automatic machine, since the sealing member is a soft part, it is difficult to hold the seal member with the automatic machine, and it is difficult to attach it to the cartridge frame with high accuracy. For this reason, productivity could not be improved.

  The second problem is that the toner generated from the gap between the cleaning frame and the end seal member of the image carrier (the gap in the thickness direction of the image carrier end seal member) and the gap between the cleaning frame and the squeeze sheet It is a leak. Conventionally, in order to solve this problem, these gaps are filled with a molten resin (hot melt) and sealed. For this reason, the process of newly apply | coating molten resin was needed, and productivity was falling.

  As above. The conventional configuration has the above-mentioned two problems, making assembly difficult, further requiring a step of applying a molten resin, and reducing productivity.

  Therefore, the present invention is to provide a cartridge that is easy to assemble and has high productivity. Furthermore, this configuration provides a cartridge that can be assembled by an automatic machine.

  A cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body according to the present invention is provided in a cartridge frame having a developer accommodating portion, an image carrier provided rotatably with respect to the cartridge frame, and a cartridge frame. An end seal that contacts the longitudinal end of the image carrier, a cleaning unit that acts on the image carrier, a seal member that is provided on the cartridge frame and contacts the longitudinal end of the cleaning unit; A thin plate member which is provided along the longitudinal direction and whose one end intersecting with the longitudinal direction is in contact with the image carrier and prevents leakage of the developer from the developer accommodating portion, and a resin which fixes the thin plate member and the cartridge frame And a member. The sealing member is injection-molded with a first sealing material that is a molten resin, the resin member is injection-molded with a second sealing material that is a molten resin different from the first sealing material, and the sealing member and the resin member are cartridges It contacts between a frame and a thin-plate member, and is formed integrally.

  The present invention provides a cartridge that is easy to assemble and has high productivity. As a result, a cartridge that can be assembled by an automatic machine is provided.

Schematic sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment Schematic sectional view of a process cartridge according to an embodiment Schematic sectional view of a photosensitive drum unit according to an embodiment The schematic front view of the cleaning subunit which attached the squeeze sheet | seat and cleaning blade which concern on an Example Schematic front view of the cleaning subunit according to the embodiment Schematic front view of the vicinity of the vertical seal of the cleaning subunit according to the embodiment Schematic sectional view of the vicinity of the vertical seal of the cleaning subunit according to the embodiment Schematic perspective view of the vicinity of the vertical seal of the cleaning subunit according to the embodiment Schematic sectional view of the vicinity of the vertical seal of the photosensitive drum unit according to the embodiment Schematic explanatory drawing showing the cross-sectional shape of the vertical seal according to the embodiment Schematic sectional view showing a part of a photosensitive drum unit according to a modified example Schematic perspective view of a cleaning container according to an embodiment The perspective view for demonstrating the process of injection-molding to the cleaning frame which concerns on an Example. The perspective view for demonstrating the process of injection-molding to the cleaning frame which concerns on an Example. Schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the process of injection molding resin into the cleaning frame according to the embodiment Schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the process of injection molding resin into the cleaning frame according to the embodiment Schematic sectional view for explaining the assembly of the photosensitive drum unit according to the embodiment Schematic sectional view for explaining the assembly of the photosensitive drum unit according to the embodiment Schematic sectional view for explaining the assembly of the photosensitive drum unit according to the embodiment

(Example 1)
Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus and a cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the longitudinal direction N of the cartridge is the direction of the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum as the image carrier.

(overall structure)
First, an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus main body and a process cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus will be schematically described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an overall configuration of a laser beam printer which is a form of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body according to an embodiment, and FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus main body A irradiates the photosensitive drum 7 (image carrier), which is a drum-shaped electrophotographic photosensitive member, from the exposure apparatus 1 with information light (light image) based on image information. Is done. As a result, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 7, and this electrostatic latent image is developed with toner (developer) to form a toner image. In synchronization with the formation of the toner image, the recording medium 2 such as recording paper, OHP sheet, and cloth is separated and fed one by one from the paper feeding unit 3a (cassette) by the pickup roller 3b and the pressure contact member 3c that is in pressure contact with the pickup roller 3b. To do. The toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 7 of the process cartridge B is transferred to the recording medium 2 conveyed along the conveyance guide 3f1 by applying a voltage to the transfer roller 4 serving as a transfer unit. Further, the recording medium 2 onto which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to the fixing unit 5 along the conveyance guide 3f2. The fixing means 5 includes a fixing rotator 5d composed of a driving roller 5a and a cylindrical sheet, a support 5c that rotatably supports the fixing rotator 5d, and a heater 5b disposed in the fixing rotator 5d. Have. The fixing rotator 5d heated by the heater 5b rotates following the drive roller 5a, and heat and pressure are applied to the passing recording medium 2 to fix the transferred toner image. The recording medium 2 on which the transferred toner image is fixed is transported by a discharge roller 3d and discharged to a discharge unit 6 through a reverse conveyance path. In this example, the conveying means 3 is constituted by a pickup roller 3b, a pressure contact member 3c, a discharge roller 3d, etc., but this is not restrictive.

(Cartridge configuration)
As shown in FIG. 2, the cartridge B includes a photosensitive drum 7 and at least one process means. Examples of the process means include a charging means for charging the photosensitive drum 7, a developing means for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 7, a cleaning means for cleaning toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 7, and the like. There is. In the cartridge B of this embodiment, the photosensitive drum 7 which is an electrophotographic photosensitive member having a photosensitive layer is rotationally driven, and a voltage is applied to the charging roller 8 which is a charging means, so that the surface of the photosensitive drum 7 is made uniform. Charges up. Information light based on the image information from the exposure apparatus 1 is exposed to the charged photosensitive drum 7 through the exposure opening 9b to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 7, and electrostatically. The latent image is developed by developing means.

  In the developing means, the toner in the toner accommodating portion 10a, which is a developer accommodating portion configured in the developing frame 10f, is sent out by a rotatable feeding member 10b, which is a toner feeding means. Then, the developing roller 10d, which is a developer carrier (developing rotating body) incorporating the fixed magnet 10c, is rotated. Then, a toner layer is formed on the surface of the developing roller 10d with toner charged by friction with the developing blade 10e, and the toner is transferred to the photosensitive drum 7 according to the electrostatic latent image to form a toner image. It is to be visualized.

  Then, a voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the toner image is applied to the transfer roller 4 to transfer the toner image to the recording medium 2. After the transfer, a cleaning blade 11a as a cleaning unit is applied to the photosensitive drum 7 to scrape residual toner from the photosensitive drum 7, and the squeeze sheet 11b prevents leakage to the outside of the waste toner storage portion 11c.

  The cartridge B is divided into a photosensitive drum unit 11 and a developing unit 10. The photosensitive drum unit 11 includes a photosensitive drum 7, a charging roller 8 serving as a charging unit, a cleaning blade 11a serving as a cleaning unit, a squeeze sheet 11b, and a cleaning subunit 12. The cleaning blade 11a includes a rubber part 11a1 that comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 7 and a sheet metal part 11a2 that supports the rubber part 11a1. The developing unit 10 includes a developing unit and a toner container 10a constituting a developing frame and a developing container. The developing means includes a developing roller 10d and a developing blade 10e.

(Cleaning subunit seal configuration)
Next, the seal configuration of the cleaning subunit according to the embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of the photosensitive drum unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic front view of the cleaning subunit to which the cleaning blade and the squeeze sheet according to the embodiment are attached. FIG. 5 is a schematic front view of the cleaning subunit according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic front view of the vicinity of the vertical seal of the cleaning subunit according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a view showing a BB cross section of FIG. FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view of the vicinity of the vertical seal of the cleaning subunit according to the embodiment, and FIG. 8B is a diagram showing a partial detail of FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a cleaning blade 11 a and a squeeze sheet 11 b are attached to the cleaning subunit 12. A squeeze sheet 11 b that is in contact with the photosensitive drum 7 and prevents waste toner from leaking is attached to the cleaning frame 13 via a resin member 31. In this embodiment, the cleaning member 13 is fixed to the cleaning frame 13 with the resin member 31 to which the squeeze sheet 11b is welded.

  3 and 5, the cleaning subunit 12 is provided with a cleaning blade lower seal 14, vertical seals 15 and 16, end seals 19 and 20, and a resin member 31. Specifically, the cleaning blade lower seal 14 is provided across the blade mounting seat surfaces 21 and 22 provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction N of the cleaning frame 13. As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the vertical seals 15 and 16 made of the first seal are provided from the vicinity of the blade mounting seat surfaces 21 and 22 so as to be connected to the resin member 31 for fixing the squeeze sheet 11b. Yes. That is, the vertical seals 15 and 16 and the resin member 31 are formed integrally with the cleaning frame 13. In this way, the gap between the cleaning blade 11 a and the cleaning frame 13 is sealed by the cleaning blade lower seal 14 and the vertical seals 15 and 16.

  The first sealing material may be any resin that has elasticity and can be injection-molded, and an elastomer resin can be used. As the first sealing material, it is preferable to use a material made of the same material as the cleaning frame 13 and having elasticity, so that it is not necessary to separate from the cleaning frame 13 when the process cartridge B is recycled. For this reason, in this embodiment, the styrene elastomer resin made of the same material as the cleaning frame 13 made of polystyrene resin is used. However, silicon rubber or soft rubber may be used. However, the rubber part 11a1 of the cleaning blade 11a comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 7 and bends to compress the vertical seal 15 (16). When the repulsive force of the vertical seal 15 (16) is large, the contact pressure of the rubber portion 11a1 of the cleaning blade 11 with respect to the photosensitive drum 7 increases. As a result, the cleaning performance of the cleaning blade 11a may be affected, and the frictional force with the photosensitive drum 7 may be excessively increased and the rubber portion 11a1 may be turned over. Therefore, it is desirable to select a material having a low repulsive force even when compressed, that is, a soft and low elastic modulus material. However, in consideration of moldability, in this example, a material having a hardness of about 20 to 30 according to the JIS K6253 test method was used.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the end seal 19 (20) includes a surface 19a (20a) that contacts the photosensitive drum 7 and an adhesive surface 19b (20b) for bonding to the attachment surface 13t of the cartridge frame 13. ). As described above, the end seals 19 and 20 are arranged so as to contact the photosensitive drum 7, whereby the gap between the photosensitive drum 7 and the cleaning frame 13 is sealed, and the toner to the outside of the cartridge B is sealed. Prevent leakage. As shown in FIG. 8, in order to bond the end seals 19 and 20 to the affixing surface 13t of the cartridge frame 13, a groove 13m is provided on the affixing surface 13t, and the vertical seal 15 (16 is provided via the groove 13m. ) And the resin member 31 are connected to each other and are integrally formed. As the end seal 19 (20), a material having a surface 19a (20a) made of a flexible member such as felt, unemployed cloth, a pile made by weaving fibers, or electrostatic flocking is used.

  Next, the vertical seals 15 and 16 will be described in detail. Here, in this embodiment, the vertical seals 15 and 16 are configured symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal direction N of the cleaning frame. Therefore, in the following description, the vertical seal 15 is taken as an example. As shown in FIG. 7, the vertical seal 15 extends in the short direction M intersecting the longitudinal direction N, and has three parts: a first part 15a, a second part 15b, and a third part 15c.

(First part 15a of the vertical seal)
As shown in FIG. 7, the first portion 15 a of the vertical seal 15 is located between the cleaning blade 11 a and the cleaning frame 13. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the first portion 15a is configured to extend from the cleaning frame 13 toward the cleaning blade 11a and come into contact with the cleaning blade 11a. At this time, it is preferable that the line connecting the contact portion of the vertical seal 15 with the cleaning frame 13 and the contact portion of the cleaning blade 11a intersect with the longitudinal direction N so as not to be orthogonal. By thus inclining with respect to the longitudinal direction N and arranging the vertical seal 15, the vertical seal 15 is fixed in a deformed state so as to bend between the cleaning blade 11 a and the cleaning frame body 13. Thereby, the repulsive force to the rubber part 11a1 of the cleaning blade 11a which arises by deformation | transformation of the vertical seal | sticker 15 can be reduced. As a result, the contact pressure that the photosensitive drum 7 receives from the rubber portion 11a1 of the cleaning blade 11a is suppressed from increasing in the vicinity of the vertical seals 15 and 16, and the surface cleaning property of the photosensitive drum 7 is made uniform and better and stable. Can be The inclined shape of the first portion 15a may be only the portion that contacts the rubber portion 11a of the cleaning blade 11a, but the portion that contacts the sheet metal portion 11a2 may have the same shape. The direction of inclination may be either the inner side direction (FIG. 10A) or the outer side direction (FIG. 10B) of the cleaning frame 13 in the longitudinal direction N. In this embodiment, in order to shorten the length in the longitudinal direction N of the cleaning frame 13 and the cleaning blade 11a, a shape inclined inward is desirable and adopted. From the viewpoint of toner sealing, the shape is inclined inward of the cleaning frame 13 in the longitudinal direction N.

(Second part 15b of the vertical seal)
Next, the second portion 15b of the vertical seal 15 will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, the second portion 15 b is formed so as to be connected to the first portion 15 a in the longitudinal direction N. As shown in FIG. 9, the second portion 15 b is compressed by the cleaning frame 3 and the end seal 19, and is provided so as to seal between the cleaning frame 13 and the end seal 19.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 8B, the second portion 15b comes into contact with the end seal 19 at three contact portions (15b1, 15b2, 15b3). The contact portion 15b1 forms an inclined surface that gently connects the first portion 15a and the pasting surface 13t. This prevents the end seal 19 from closing the step between the vertical seal 15a and the attachment surface 13t when the end seal 19 is attached to the attachment surface 13t, thereby preventing a gap. The configuration prevents toner leakage more reliably.

  Next, the contact portion 15b2 connected to the contact portion 15b1 is substantially the same height as the pasting seat surface 13t, and the adhesive layer 19b and the pasting surface 13t are securely bonded to each other. Since the contact portion 15b2 has substantially the same height as the attachment seat surface 13t, the groove portion 13m is provided on the attachment surface 13t of the cartridge frame 13, and the contact portion 15b2 is provided on the groove portion 13m.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the contact portion 15b3 that is gently connected from the contact portion 15b2 is provided on the step portion 13p that is connected to the fixed surface 13s from which the squeeze sheet 11b can be removed from the attaching surface 13t. The contact portion 15b3 has a rib shape protruding from the step portion 13p in the direction in which the pasting surface 13t extends. A curved shape 15b3r is provided at the corner 13r where the pasting surface 13t and the stepped portion 13p intersect, and the contact portions 15b2 and 15b3 are gently connected. Thereby, when the end seal 19 is affixed to the cleaning frame 13, the corner 13r where the affixing surface 13t of the cleaning frame 13 and the step 13p intersect cannot be blocked by the end seal 19. Prevent gaps from occurring. As a result, the toner leakage from between the end seal 19 and the cleaning frame 13 is more reliably prevented. Further, the contact portion 15b3 has a narrow rib shape, and the repulsive force to the end seal 19 generated by the end seal 19 being compressed and fixed in a deformed state can be reduced. it can. In this embodiment, the width of the contact portion 15b3 is about 0.6 mm. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, the contact portion 15 b 3 can be easily compressed and deformed by the end seal 19, and the gap between the end seal 19 and the cartridge frame 13 is better prevented. In addition, the toner leakage is more reliably prevented.

(The third portion 15c of the vertical seal and the resin member 31)
Next, the third portion 15c will be described. As shown in FIG. 9, the third portion 15 c is formed between the squeeze sheet 11 b and the cleaning frame body 13. One end of the third portion 15c is formed so as to be connected to the connection portion 15b3 of the second portion 15b. On the other hand, the other end of the third portion 15c is formed continuously with the resin member 31 made of the second sealing material. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the resin member 31 has a longitudinal adhesive portion 31 a extending along the longitudinal direction N of the cleaning frame 13 and a lateral direction M provided at both ends of the longitudinal direction N. It has the end resin part 31b extended along. And this edge part resin part 31b is connected with the other end of the 3rd part 15c, and the vertical seal | sticker 15 and the resin member 31 are integrally formed. That is, the vertical seal 15 and the resin member 15 are in contact with each other, and the boundary portion 103 that is an interface is formed between the squeeze sheet 11b and the cleaning frame 13, that is, in the third portion 15c. As a result, there is no gap between the resin member 31 and the third portion 15c between the squeeze sheet 11b and the cleaning frame 13, thereby preventing toner leakage more reliably.

  In this embodiment, the third portion 15c is provided. However, the third portion 15c is not provided, and the second portion 15b (contact portion 15b3) and the resin member 31 are provided as shown in FIG. It is good also as a structure which touches and integrates. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 11B, the end resin portion 31b may not be provided, and the third portion 15c and the longitudinal adhesive portion 31a may be in contact with each other and integrated. That is, the boundary portion 103 formed by the interface between the vertical seal 15 and the resin member 31 intersects with the long resin portion 31a in the short direction in which the vertical seal 15 extends in a region sandwiched between the squeeze sheet 11b and the cleaning frame 13. What is necessary is just to provide in the range which does not.

  Further, an elastomer resin is used as the second seal material, but a resin different from the first seal material used for the vertical seal 15 is used. Specifically, the squeeze sheet 11b can be placed on the cleaning frame 13 with high accuracy by using a material having a hardness of about 50 according to the JIS K6253 test method as the second seal material and being harder than the first seal material. To do. On the other hand, by using a resin having an elastic modulus of 2.5 MPa to 10 MPa as the second seal material, the resin member 31 can be formed into a frame body in the same manner as other seal members such as the vertical seals 15 and 16. .

  Similar to the first seal material, the second seal material is separated from the cleaning frame body 13 when the process cartridge B is recycled by using an elastic material made of the same material as the cleaning frame body 13. This is preferable because it is unnecessary. Therefore, in this embodiment, a styrene elastomer resin made of the same material as the cleaning frame 13 made of polystyrene resin is used. However, any other resin that can be injection-molded, such as silicon rubber and soft rubber, is used. May be used.

  In this embodiment, the cleaning frame 13 made of polystyrene resin and the squeeze sheet 11b made of a thin plate member made of polyester resin were used. For this reason, the cleaning frame 13 and the squeeze sheet 11b may swell in the squeeze sheet 11b due to a difference in thermal expansion when an atmospheric temperature change occurs due to a difference in material. In this case, a gap is formed between the photosensitive drum 7 in contact with the squeeze sheet 11b, and waste toner can leak out.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the resin member 31 formed on the frame can function as a buffer material that absorbs the difference in linear expansion between the cleaning frame 13 and the squeeze sheet 11b when left in an environment at high temperatures. Thereby, the swell of the sheet member after leaving the environment under a high temperature can be prevented.

(Fixing the squeeze sheet)
Next, the fixing structure of the squeeze sheet 11b will be described. The squeeze sheet 11 b is fixed to the cleaning frame 13 via the resin member 31. More specifically, the squeeze sheet 11 b is fixed to the cleaning frame 13 by welding the longitudinal adhesive portion 31 a and the end resin portion 31 b of the resin member 31.

(Effect of this embodiment)
As described above, in the present embodiment, the gap 102 formed between the squeeze sheet fixing surface 13s and the squeeze sheet 11b can be filled by forming the vertical seal 15 and the resin member 31 by resin injection molding. Further, by melting the vertical seal 15 and the resin member 31 and bringing them into close contact with the squeeze sheet 11b, the gap can be eliminated and the toner sealing performance at the end of the cleaning frame 13 can be improved. As a result, the hot melt injection step that has been conventionally performed to close the gap between the cleaning frame 13 and the end seal 19 is not required, and the configuration according to the present embodiment simplifies the production process. Can be achieved.

  Further, by adopting the configuration according to the present embodiment, the configuration can be such that the seal member, which is a soft member, is not used, and the cartridge can be easily assembled and has high productivity.

(Manufacturing method of cleaning subunit)
Next, a method for forming a cleaning subunit will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective view of the cleaning frame, and FIGS. 13 to 16 are schematic cross-sectional views for explaining a process of injection molding to the cleaning frame.

(Injection molding process)
Hereinafter, a process of injection molding the vertical seals 15 and 16 and the resin member 31 onto the cleaning frame 13 will be described. FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view showing the inlet of the cleaning frame according to the embodiment, and FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the cleaning frame according to the embodiment set in the resin injection device. FIG. 15 is a schematic cross-sectional view when the resin is injected into the cleaning frame according to the embodiment, and FIG. 16 is a partially enlarged view showing FIG. 15 (c).

  First, injection ports 26, 27, 44, and 45 for injecting molten resin, a vertical seal 15, a cleaning blade lower seal 14, and grooves 13m, 14m, and 31m for holding the resin member 31 were provided. A cleaning frame 13 is prepared. The inlets 26, 27, 44, 45 are provided as holes that penetrate the cartridge frame 13. In the present embodiment, the inlets 25, 26, 27, 28, and 29 provided in the cleaning frame 13 are arranged such that the positions of the cleaning frame 13 in the longitudinal direction are shifted from each other.

  As shown in FIG. 16, vertical seal molds 51 and 52 for forming the vertical seals 15 and 16 and a squeeze sheet mold 53 for forming the resin member 31 are fixed to the cleaning frame 13. Thereby, it was set as the structure which can inject | pour molten resin into the space formed by the vertical seal | sticker molds 51 and 52 and the cleaning container 13 from the injection ports 26 and 27. FIG. In this embodiment, the vertical seal die 51 (52) is divided into two types, that is, a die 51a for forming the first portion 15a and a die 51b for forming the second portions 15b to 15c. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a vertical seal die 51 in which the die 51a and the die 51b are integrated may be used.

  Similarly, the molten resin can be injected from the injection ports 28 and 29 into the space formed by the squeeze sheet mold 53 and the cleaning container 13. At this time, the space formed by the squeeze sheet mold 53 and the cleaning container 13 communicates with the space formed by the vertical seal molds 51 and 52 and the cleaning container 13.

  In this embodiment, in addition to the vertical seals 15 and 16 and the resin member 31, the cleaning blade lower seal 14 is formed in the same process. Therefore, the lower seal mold 50 for forming the lower seal 14 of the cleaning blade is also fixed to the cleaning frame body 13, and molten resin is injected into the space formed by the lower seal mold 50 and the cleaning frame body 13 from the injection port 25. Possible configuration.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 14, the cleaning frame 13 is set in the resin injection device 40. The resin injection device 40 includes two resin supply portions 40a and 40b, and supplies a material for the hopper 46 (40a) that supplies the cleaning blade lower seal 14 and the vertical seals 15 and 16 and the material for the resin member 31. A hopper 47 (40b) is provided. Further, as shown in FIG. 15, the gates 41 to 45 for injecting the resin are arranged in the same direction as the injection ports at positions corresponding to the respective injection ports 25 to 29. Furthermore, the inlets 25 to 29 provided in the cleaning frame 13 are also arranged in the same direction, so that the gates 41 to 45 can be brought into contact with the inlets 25 to 29 simultaneously.

  Next, the plungers 55, 56, and 57 of the resin supply unit 40a are driven in the direction of the arrow in a state where the gates 41, 42, and 43 are in contact with the injection ports 25, 26, and 27. As a result, the first elastomer resin, which is the sealing material of the cleaning blade lower seal 14 and the vertical seals 15, 16, is injected from the gates 41, 42, 43. Similarly, the plungers 58 and 59 of the resin supply unit 40b are driven in the arrow direction in a state where the gates 44 and 45 and the injection ports 28 and 29 are in contact with each other. As a result, the second elastomer resin that is the material of the resin member 31 is injected from the gates 44 and 45. The injected first elastomer resin is poured into a space formed by the cleaning frame 13, the lower seal mold 50, and the vertical seal molds 51 and 52. Similarly, the injected second elastomer resin is poured into the space formed by the cleaning frame 13 and the squeeze sheet mold 53.

  At this time, the first elastomer resin injected from the gates 41, 42, and 43 flows into a part of the space formed by the cleaning frame 13 and the squeeze sheet mold 53. The start timing, the moving amount, and the moving speed of the plungers 56 to 59 are adjusted, the poured first elastomer resin and the second elastomer resin collide, and the boundary portion 103 to be formed is formed in the third portion 15c. Set to

  After the injection is finished, the cleaning frame 13 is removed from the cleaning blade lower seal mold 50, the vertical seal molds 51 and 52, and the resin member mold 53, and then released. Thereby, the cleaning blade lower seal 14, the vertical seals 15 and 16, and the resin member 31 can be integrally formed on the cleaning frame 13.

  In this way, the cleaning subunit 12 is completed.

(Cleaning blade and end seal attachment process)
The cleaning blade 11 a is disposed on the cleaning blade lower seal 14 and is attached to the cleaning frame body 13 by fixing members 17 such as screws on blade mounting seat surfaces 21 and 22 provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction N of the cleaning frame body 13. Fix it. At this time, the space between the cleaning frame 13 and the sheet metal 11a2 of the cleaning blade 11a is sealed by the cleaning blade lower seal 14.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the end seal 19 is adhered to the affixing surface 13t of the cartridge frame 13 so as to contact the cleaning blade 11a, the photosensitive drum 7 and the squeeze sheet 11b to be attached later. The end seal 19 has an adhesive surface 19 b fixed on the groove 13 m of the cartridge frame 13, that is, the vertical seal 15. At this time, as shown in FIG. 17B, the end seal 19 is fixed to the cleaning frame 13 so as to crush the vertical seal 15, more specifically, the contact portion 15b3 protruding from the step portion 13p. The gap between the part seal 19 and the cleaning frame 13 is sealed.

(Squeesheet pasting process)
Next, attachment of the squeeze sheet 11b will be described. In the present embodiment, the squeeze sheet 11b is a polyester sheet. A squeeze sheet 11b is placed at a predetermined position on the resin member 31 formed on the cleaning frame 13. Then, as shown in FIG. 18, a heating body 71 such as a heat bar heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the melting point of the resin member 31 and equal to or lower than the melting point of the material of the squeeze sheet 11 b is pressed. The resin member 31 is melted by the heat and pressure generated by the heating body 71 to bond the cleaning frame 13 and the squeeze sheet 11b. More specifically, not only the longitudinal adhesive portion 31a of the resin member 31 but also the end resin portion 31b and the vertical seal third portion 15c are all heated. Accordingly, the end resin portion 31b is melted and bonded to the squeeze sheet 11b, and a part of the vertical seal 15 existing in the third portion 15c is also melted and brought into close contact with the squeeze sheet 11b. For this reason, the resin member 31 is preferably made of a material that is compatible with the material of the squeeze sheet 11b.

  Further, as a method of melting the resin member 31, in addition to pressing the heating body 71, a sheet material having high light transmittance is used for the squeeze sheet 11b, and the resin member 31 is irradiated with laser to melt the resin member 31. Also good. In this case, as shown in FIG. 19, after fixing the squeeze sheet 11b with a transparent fixing body 72 such as glass having high light transmittance, the laser head 73 is scanned, and the longitudinal resin portion 31a and the end portion resin are scanned. The part 31b is irradiated with a laser. The resin member 31 may be any member that absorbs and melts laser light, and a resin that absorbs light in a resin that is melted by heat, for example, carbon added thereto can be used. In the present embodiment, the second sealing material used as the resin member 31 contains 0.5 to 12 parts by mass of carbon and uses a styrene resin.

  After fixing the squeeze sheet 11b to the cleaning subunit 12, the photosensitive drum unit 11 is completed by fixing the photosensitive drum 7 and the charging roller 8 at predetermined positions. Then, the developing unit 10 is integrated with the photosensitive drum unit 11 to complete the cartridge.

  The molds 50 to 53 may be subjected to the injection process with the cleaning frame 13 in contact with the resin so that the resin does not leak. In addition to the molds 50 to 53 being simultaneously contacted as in this embodiment, The injection process may be performed after the abutment.

(Effect of this embodiment)
In the present embodiment, the manufactured cartridge B has an effect produced by the configuration of the cartridge B, and a plurality of parts such as the cleaning blade lower seal 14, the vertical seals 15 and 16, and the resin member 31 are processed in the same process by the resin injection device 40. Can be manufactured. For this reason, productivity can be improved and an assembly by an automatic machine can be made possible because there is no step of attaching a sealing member, which is a soft member, to the cartridge frame.

A Image forming apparatus main body B Cartridge 7 Photosensitive drum 8 Charging roller 10 Developing unit 11 Photosensitive drum unit 11a Cleaning blade 11b Squee sheet 11c Waste toner storage unit 12 Cleaning subunit 13 Cleaning frame 14 Cleaning blade lower seal 15, 16 Vertical seal 19 , 20 End seal 21, 22 Blade mounting seat surface 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 Inlet 31 Resin member 40 Resin injection device 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 Gate 50 Lower seal mold 51, 52 Vertical seal Mold 53 Resin member mold 55, 56, 57, 58, 59 Plunger 70 Hot melt 73 Laser head 101, 102 Gap 103 Boundary portion

Claims (14)

In a cartridge detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus,
A cartridge frame having a developer accommodating portion;
An image carrier provided rotatably with respect to the cartridge frame;
An end seal provided on the cartridge frame and abutting against an end of the image carrier in the longitudinal direction;
Cleaning means acting on the image carrier;
A seal member provided on the cartridge frame and in contact with the longitudinal end of the cleaning means;
A thin plate member provided along the longitudinal direction, one end of which intersects the longitudinal direction is in contact with the image carrier;
A resin member for fixing the thin plate member and the cartridge frame;
Have
The sealing member is injection-molded with a first sealing material that is a molten resin,
The resin member is injection-molded with a second sealing material that is a molten resin different from the first sealing material,
The cartridge, wherein the seal member and the resin member are formed so as to contact each other. The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the seal member and the resin member are in contact with each other between the cartridge frame and the thin plate member. A boundary portion composed of an interface between the seal member and the resin member is formed,
The resin member has at least a longitudinal resin portion extending along the longitudinal direction,
The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the boundary portion is provided between the cartridge frame body and the thin plate member at a position that does not intersect the longitudinal resin portion.   The cartridge according to claim 3, wherein the resin member further includes an end resin portion that intersects the longitudinal direction and is connected to the seal member and the longitudinal resin portion. The sealing member is
A first portion in contact with the cleaning means;
The cartridge frame is provided at a step portion between a surface to which the end seal is fixed and a surface to which the thin plate member is fixed, and seals between the end seal and the cartridge frame. Part,
The cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the cartridge is provided.   The cartridge according to claim 5, wherein the seal member further includes a third portion positioned between the cartridge frame and the thin plate member.   The cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the second sealing material is a harder material than the first sealing material.   The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the image carrier is a photoconductor. A cartridge frame having a developer accommodating portion;
An image carrier provided rotatably with respect to the cartridge frame;
An end seal provided on the cartridge frame and abutting against an end of the image carrier in the longitudinal direction;
Cleaning means acting on the image carrier;
A seal member provided on the cartridge frame and in contact with the longitudinal end of the cleaning means;
A thin plate member provided along the longitudinal direction, one end of which intersects the longitudinal direction is in contact with the image carrier;
A resin member for fixing the thin plate member and the cartridge frame;
A method of manufacturing a cartridge that can be attached to and detached from a main body of an image forming apparatus having:
A first step of injection-molding the seal member onto the cartridge frame with a first seal material that is a molten resin;
A second step of injection-molding the resin member onto the cartridge frame with a second sealing material which is a molten resin different from the first sealing material;
A third step of fixing the end seal and the cleaning means on the cartridge frame;
A fourth step of disposing the thin plate member on the resin member, welding the resin member, and fixing the thin plate member to the cartridge frame;
A fifth step of fixing the image carrier to the cartridge frame;
With
The method of manufacturing a cartridge, wherein the sealing member and the resin member are formed so as to contact each other. The method for manufacturing a cartridge according to claim 9, wherein the seal member and the resin member are in contact between the cartridge frame and the thin plate member. Forming a boundary portion composed of an interface between the seal member and the resin member;
The resin member has at least a longitudinal resin portion extending along the longitudinal direction,
The cartridge manufacturing method according to claim 7, wherein the boundary portion is formed between the cartridge frame and the thin plate member at a position not intersecting with the longitudinal resin portion.   12. The cartridge according to claim 11, wherein in the second step, the resin member having an end resin portion that intersects the longitudinal direction and is connected to the seal member and the longitudinal resin portion is formed. Production method. In the third step,
A first portion in contact with the cleaning means;
The cartridge frame is provided at a step portion between a surface to which the end seal is fixed and a surface to which the thin plate member is fixed, and seals between the end seal and the cartridge frame. Part,
The method for manufacturing a cartridge according to claim 9, wherein the sealing member having the following structure is formed.   14. The method for manufacturing a cartridge according to claim 13, wherein in the third step, the seal member having a third portion located between the cartridge frame and the thin plate member is further formed.

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